NEW BERN, United States, Sept 16, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Authorities on Saturday
warned residents displaced by a killer hurricane that its devastation was far
from over, as Florence dumped “epic amounts of rainfall” across the
southeastern United States, bringing catastrophic flooding and at least nine
deaths.
Most of the fatalities occurred in North Carolina, where officials
confirmed eight victims. They included three who died “due to flash flooding
and swift water on roadways,” the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office reported.
A woman and her baby were among the first casualties, when a tree fell on
their house, contributing to a toll which US media said had reached 11.
Florence made landfall Friday as a Category 1 hurricane but has since been
downgraded to a tropical storm, even as it continued to wreak havoc along the
East Coast, downing trees and power lines and forcing 20,000 people to flee
to shelters.
On Saturday some residents tried to return home, driving through flooded
highways armed with chainsaws to clear fallen pine trees that covered the
road.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper warned against such behavior as roads
became increasingly dangerous.
“All roads in the state right now are at risk of floods,” he said. “As
rivers keep rising and rain keeps falling, the flooding will spread. More and
more inland counties are issuing mandatory evacuations to get people to
safety quickly.”
He earlier said the storm system “is unloading epic amounts of rainfall: in
some places, measured in feet, not inches.”
In a separate briefing, Steve Goldstein of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said some areas have already received two
feet of rain and could expect up to 20 inches more as the system moved
“slowly, nearly stationary” over eastern North Carolina.
In New Bern, a riverfront city near the North Carolina coast that saw storm
surges up to 10 feet (three meters), residents took stock of the damage after
flood waters began receding and authorities rescued hundreds of people who
had been stranded.
Charles Rucker, a retired teacher, had only spent five nights in his newly-
purchased house, built in 1830, when Florence struck.
It was like a bullet train coming through the living room. Nothing I ever
experienced before, I was truly scared,” he told AFP.
“We have 4,200 damaged homes,” Mayor Dana Outlaw told CNN.
The doors of many homes suffered so much wind damage they appeared to have
been kicked in, while the city’s beloved fiber-glass bear statues, which are
sponsored by local businesses, were floating down streets.
In one piece of good news, authorities said 16 wild ponies of hurricane-
struck Ocracoke Island, located off the North Carolina coast, were safe.
– Deadly path –
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster on Saturday announced the death of a
61-year-old woman who died when her car hit a downed tree on a highway.
US media said a man in Lenoir County died after heavy winds knocked him
down as he tried to check on his dogs.
President Donald Trump tweeted late Saturday that “five deaths have been
recorded thus far,” and expressed sympathy to the victims’ families.
The White House said Trump would visit hurricane-hit areas next week “once
it is determined his travel will not disrupt any rescue or recovery efforts.”
More than 800,000 customers in North Carolina were without power and 21,000
people were being housed in 157 shelters across the state.
As of 8:00 pm (0000 GMT), maximum sustained winds had weakened to near 45
miles (75 kilometers) per hour, but the NHC continued to warn of
“catastrophic” flooding from excessive rainfall.
The military announced Saturday it was deploying nearly 200 soldiers to
assist in storm-related response and recovery efforts, along with 100 trucks
and equipment.
Besides federal and state emergency crews, rescuers were being helped by
volunteers from the “Cajun Navy” — civilians equipped with light boats,
canoes and air mattresses — who also turned up in Houston during Hurricane
Harvey to carry out water rescues.
– Tornado warnings –
Hurricane Florence made landfall Friday in Wrightsville Beach, North
Carolina, after stalking the coastline for days.
Tornadoes remain a threat, with the NHC saying that “a few tornadoes are
possible in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.”
About 1.7 million people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia are
under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders, and millions of others live
in areas likely to be affected by the storm.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0806 hrs